Andy Irvine on real estate and rugby

The manager of the British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia 2013, rugby great
Andy Irvine
, took time in Hong Kong to address a function for his global real estate group,
Jones Lang LaSalle
.

“It is amazing how many of our clients are keen rugby followers," says Irvine who is chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle in Scotland.

Irvine, a veteran of the Lions tours of 1974, 1977 and 1980, was speaking to The Australian Financial Review about the links between rugby and business, about the challenges facing today’s players, and of course about real estate.

Irvine says good rugby players are often successful in business because they are competitive, because they are team players and because they understand that natural talent is not enough.

Rugby great Andy Irvine ... “First and foremost, if you make it in rugby you have a very competitive instinct.”
Photo: Peter Braig

“First and foremost, if you make it in rugby you have a very competitive instinct," he says. “You like to win; and that is absolutely vital in business as well."

Second is a need to work within the team. “Not many individuals make it to the top in rugby by looking after themselves and not looking after the team. And there are very close parallels between business and rugby in that sense."

And third is the hard work. “Make no mistake, it’s hard work. Natural talent has a lot to do with it – but you also have to work hard behind the scenes and that is the same in business."

Few in Australia would be surprised at the links with business. On Saturday evening, former Wallaby and now
Bank of Queensland
chairman,
Roger Davis
, will, as chairman of the Waratahs, host the Lions for the tour game against NSW.

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Irvine understands that today’s players have a tougher road to develop careers after rugby.

In the 1970s, he only trained two nights a week and was able to qualify as a chartered surveyor, the premier real estate qualification in the UK, and joined what was then Jones Lang Wootton in 1978. Whatever demands rugby made, including the three month Lions tour, “Jones Lang were very good about it," he says.

Today’s players are full professionals with training morning and afternoon and possibly video sessions in the evening.

“These chaps need to be very careful that they don’t become purely rugby players at the expense of understanding what the rest of the world does," Irvine says.

Few will find work in the world of rugby as coaches or commentators. “They should be making sure they have some qualifications . . . and the unions are offering training and mentoring."

(At the 150 year old Sydney University Football business leaders like Davis, NAB chief executive
Cameron Clyne
and the chairman of investment bank Heathley,
Peter Hemming
, make a point of helping players on the right career path.)

Irvine also warns of the physical demands on the current players driven by the corporate demands of rugby as entertainment.

Protect from over-exposure

“We are going to have to be really careful to protect the players from over-exposure doing them bodily harm," he says.

Irvine was critical of the schedule which saw many of his Lions involved in provincial rugby finals just days before flying out to Hong Kong and Australia.

Nothing demonstrates the difference between the amateur and professional era as Irvine’s first Lions tour, in 1974. The team comprised 30 players and one coach. All up they were away for 3½ months, played 22 games and, as Irvine remembers, were paid a daily allowance of 50 pence.

The current team has 37 players, will play 10 games in six weeks, and they are accompanied by over 30 staff, including five coaches, five security men, one lawyer, and four commercial assistants to deal with the sponsors. And yes, they are paid more than in the 1970s.

Irvine will not disclose how much but does note that six weeks of rugby pay is worth around two days for a top soccer player.

Real estate does get a mention. Irvine says the UK commercial property market has not been as resilient as Australia and the further north from London, the weaker it is.

“The worst is definitely over," he says. “It is recovering, but the recovery will not be dramatic."

But the focus is never far from rugby. Despite the questions over the Wallabies, the Lions themselves are under-pressure. Irvine is well aware that the Lions have not won a series since 1997. “Make no mistake, we are here to win this series," he says.